Dossier 10: Screen New Deal

The pandemic opened up opportunities for Big Tech to further infiltrate into all spheres of life—education, transportation, socialising, health. Early on in the pandemic, Naomi Klein introduced the concept of the ‘Screen New Deal’ (a pandemic shock doctrine), arguing that these companies were trying to sell us a no-touch, pandemic-proof, technologically integrated future. In this online dossier we look back and reflect on the pandemic and how it accelerated our entanglement with, and deep reliance on, Big Tech. Guus Hoeberechts examines our online behaviours and asks us to rethink the ways in which we interact on social media. For our image contribution, researchers Giselinde Kuipers and Mark Boukes trace the global humour cycle of the pandemic through memes. And Guus Hoeberechts interviews researcher Marjolein Lanzing about her thoughts on contact tracing technologies, privacy, and the domination of Big Tech.